TORONTO - The clock has struck midnight on the fantasy ride that was the Olympic hockey tournament, a wonderful blend of the best the sport has to offer, sprinkled with the raw chest-pounding nationalism each country's fans unleashed on the sports world.

Now it's back to the sobering reality of the NHL, especially for teams such as the Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins that must each kick off the playoff stretch drive this week without key cogs in the lineup.

Call it the Curse of The Sochi Injury Bug.

The black-and-blue impact cuts far deeper than just leaving gaping holes within the lineups of these teams. It also very well could affect what kind of wheeling and dealing goes on leading up to the NHL's March 5 trade deadline.